For a Good Time Call
by Hastseoltoi
Summary: Series of Buffy the Vampire slayer short-shorts; may contain innuendo.
1. Shadow

She liked to watch them when they were all going about their normal lives, at their school with their small talk and casual touching, and classes and the Watcher waiting to tell all about the next mission they might undergo. Faith didn't have to go to school, and no one told her to do it or even asked her about it. She was a little surprised that Giles hadn't insisted that she be signed up for classes, but then he wasn't really her Watcher. He was still Buffy's and Faith was left alone to drift.

So she drifted on her own, and watched. It was easy to show people what they expected to see, and when they looked at her they didn't usually look much further than the surface. But if she were honest with herself, she was more than a little jealous of what they all seemed to have in their lives. She hated the thought that she might actually want to go back to school and be a part of their group. She would never be able to admit that out loud to anyone who would do something about it.

Part of her knew that it would be that easy too. If she mentioned something to Giles about missing out on classes and wishing she could graduate, or if she had shown some interest in the studies that her first Watcher had begun her on, he would be dragging her into the library and making all of the calls to get her into school and back on track. It would be good for a while, but eventually it would be another way for her to have Buffy's leftovers and her admission would be exposing a weakness she didn't want them to have access to in her heart. Faith wasn't a part of their orderly little world, and she could only grasp at it when she dragged Buffy out to fight vamps when she should have been in class.

Instead of saying anything, she watched them as they ate their lunches on the school lawn and chatted, letting the sun warm them as she stayed in the shadow of the trees across the parking lot.


	2. Heaping

"You know, you don't have to be alone all the time. You could be with us." Buffy didn't even look out of place as she stood in the doorway to Faith's cheap motel room.

"Yeah, because I fit in so well with all of you guys." Faith scowled, "And could you come inside? My neighbors are going to think you're a first time customer and I'm an easy hook-up or something."

Buffy flushed but stepped inside and closed the door, leaning on it as she collected her thoughts. "Way to go with the visuals there, Faith, and I'm serious. You're a Slayer, you should be a part of the team. We could be friends, if you wanted. I want."

"We could be a whole heaping spoonful of things, but that doesn't mean that I'll fit in with your friends."


	3. Scarf

The scarf was exceptionally ugly, but it had been passed on to her by a woman so pushy she could put some demons to shame. Faith held it up and tried not to make a face, "Um, thank you?"

"No, thank you, young lady. I thought that mugger was going to hurt me and you saved me and my knitting!" The woman looked as though she might grab onto Faith and squeeze her in a massive hug, and that got the Slayer to take a step back. The woman didn't seem to notice though, and began checking her pockets and adjusting her clothes so that she looked less rumpled.

"All in a day's work, ma'am. Just be careful as you go home." Faith took another step away, hoping the woman would take the hint and leave. It hadn't been a mugger, it had been a vampire. One with bad eyesight apparently. Faith was itching to see if he had any friends lurking further down the alley.


	4. Hurts

"It hurts."

"I know it hurts, but let me look at it." Buffy's tone is firm, and she holds out her hand with the expectation that her order is going to be followed immediately. She hides her worry until Faith's arm is offered and then she is examining the wound too closely to think about her feelings. If Faith is admitting to an injury it had to be bad.

"Is it going to have to come off, Doctor Summers?" Faith is looking at Buffy, ignoring the blood dripping down to fall from her elbow.

"Yep, I think it might, but don't worry we have a saw in the library."

Faith laughs, lightly pushing at Buffy's shoulder with her other arm, "Dork."


	5. Recondite

It wasn't that she disliked Willow, it was just that every time she spoke to the other girl Faith was left feeling as though she were stupid and that she didn't belong. It wasn't really Willow's fault that she felt that way; Willow was just so bright and enthusiastic about what she knew that it bled into everything she did. However, Faith did get the feeling that Willow didn't really like her, maybe jealous of the time Faith had with Buffy as Slayer-time.

It was sort of silly, the way they staked out their territory around Buffy as though she were a piece of land they could claim. Faith sighed and looked across the table at Willow, only half-listening as the Witch-in-training talked about a spell they could use to find whatever mystical whatsit Giles wanted them to secure.

Willow noticed her sigh though and paused to look back at her. "I know it isn't the most interesting thing, being such a recondite subject, but it really could work."

"Do you always talk like that? I'm not even sure what you just said." Willow started to look offended and Faith held up a hand, "Hold on, Red, I just meant that you're smart, like in the wordy sense."

Willow frowned, a small line appearing on her brow. "Oh."

"Nothing wrong with being smart, but could you use words small enough for us short-bus people to understand too?"


End file.
